A symbol is anything that conveys
information or stands for an object or idea. Symbols are a necessary
part of the human experience. Whether in the form of illustrations,
letter symbols, gestures, or spoken words, symbols are the basis for
almost all communication.

Symbols play an important part of our
understanding and learning about human history many years ago. Just
as we need symbols today to communicate, the ancient people living on
the earth needed symbols to communicate also. Some people only used
drawings, such as the Native Americans (they developed letter symbols
after the white people came to their land). Some ancient societies,
such as the Egyptians, used letter symbols from their own alphabet to
communicate.

Individuals, nations, and other
organizations use symbols to represent data, ideas, and beliefs.
Symbols are used often in religion, science, mathematics, written
languages, and as national emblems. Each country of the world has a
flag as a symbol of their country. In the United States, the stars on
the flag are a symbol representing the fifty states. A symbol only
exists as long as the people give it meaning. A symbol can be very
powerful, but can also loose meaning if the people dishonor or ignore
it.

Another way we use symbols are in
celebrations. Symbols used in celebrations often convey the beliefs
of an individual or group. Celebration symbols also reflect what is
important to an individual or group. Some symbols can have different
meanings to different groups. For example, the Christmas tree is a
symbol of peace and Christ to people in England, but it was a symbol
of eternal life to the Romans because of the evergreen
branches.

Winter is a season that has many
celebrations and symbols for many people. One of the most well known
symbols in winter celebrations is the "gift givers". Santa Claus is
the most widely known American gift giver for celebrating Christmas.
However, before the gift givers were developed, gifts were exchanged
at the winter solstice festivals to celebrate the new season. These
winter celebrations included gifts of holly, ivy, and mistletoe as
gifts of peace. The gift givers are unique to different people in
different countries. The German goddess Hertha took gifts of good
fortune and health to her people. The Romans (those who were rich)
gave gifts of holly and laurel to the poor. Jewish people celebrated
in the winter with gifts for each day of Chanukah. The three kings
(or wise men) gave gifts to the baby Jesus. Many Christians celebrate
the birth of Jesus today by giving gifts (symbolic of the wise men
giving gifts to Jesus). St. Nicholas was an actual person who lived
in the fourth century who was known for his kindness and love of
children. From then on, anyone receiving an unexpected gift said that
St. Nicholas had done it. St. Nicholas is known in many countries.
Svaty Miklaus is the Czechoslovakian gift giver who is let down from
heaven by means of a golden cord held by angels. In Italy, Befana is
a gift giver who searches the world over every Epiphany Eve (a
celebration held in winter), leaving gifts and candy in the shoes of
sleeping children just in case one of them is the baby Jesus who she
did not see when she had the chance to go to Bethlehem with the wise
men. The Russian version of the Italian Befana is an old woman named
Baboushka.

There are other winter celebration symbols
that are meaningful to different people. The star symbolizes the star
in the east that lead the wise men to find the baby Jesus. The yule
log symbol came from Scandinavia who burned a log in honor of their
god Thor. The Christians adopted this tradition and considered it to
be good luck to keep a piece of the log in the house. Mistletoe was
first used as a part of winter solstice celebrations. The Norse
believed that if enemies met underneath it, they declared a truce for
the day. This may be where the tradition of kissing beneath the
mistletoe came from.

References:

Crampton, William G. (1981). Flags of the
World. London, New York: F. Warne.

1. Students will recognize that countries
have celebration symbols unique to them even if they are the same
symbol.

2. Students will recognize that symbols are
a method of communication.

3. Students will demonstrate their
understanding of the concept of a symbol.

4. Students will develop a symbol that
represents something that they wish to celebrate or include in a
certain celebration of their choosing.

Time Allotment: Approximately 4 to 5
class periods.

Resources Needed:

1. Examples of ancient symbols (if
possible)

2. Construction paper for class
flag

3. Permission to take class in a big group
to the visual arts museum

4. Parent letter for volunteers to go on
field trip

5. Construction paper to create own
symbol

6. Road symbol shapes

7. Seven pieces of construction paper for
"scatter papers"

8. "Gift Givers" quick quiz

Procedures:

A. Anticipatory/Introduction- Have
road signs in plain view in the front of the room. Ask students to
identify the symbols and what they mean.

B. Mini-lecture- Explain what a
symbol is. Explain that we need symbols to communicate with each
other. We use math symbols, the alphabet, words, body language, and
speech to communicate. Ancient people needed to communicate with each
other too. Just as we use road signs to communicate, many ancient
people used drawings and written symbols to communicate. Show the
example of an ancient form of symbols (if it was possible to obtain
it- you might look in Native American books for petroglyphs). Point
out that ancient people many times communicated about things that
were important to them, such as food. For example, many Native wings
of animals that they hunted for food. Another reason they used
symbols was to communicate their religious beliefs and social
customs. Check for understanding by asking the students to write two
sentences about why symbols are important (to communicate, religion,
math, science, and language are some possible answers) and one way
that ancient people used symbols (drawings or written
symbols).

C. Think-Pair-Share- Have each
student think of a symbol that they see orencounter in their lives
(flag, words, math, holidays, etc.) Have the students pair up and
share their ideas with their teammate. Invite afew students to share
with the whole class.

D. Field Trip- Obtain permission
from the USU Fine Arts Museum to go on a class. The Museum contains
certain permanent pieces of Navajo and Hopi Indian displays. Point
out the symbols used for celebration.

E. Concept Development- Review
information about symbols being important for communication today as
well as in ancient times. Point out that symbols are often used in
celebrations around the world. Give the example of the Christmas tree
meaning eternal life because of it's evergreen branches. Tell the
students that the Christmas tree is a symbol of everlasting life in
England becausethe needles never turn brown or fall to the ground
like other trees. A non-example of a symbol would be a hair clip for
your hair. It doesn't mean anything; it's only purpose is to hold
your hair in place.

F. Carousel Brainstorming- Give each
table (of four people each) a marker to write with (each table gets a
different color). Have each table go to a scatter paper (a big piece
of construction paper that has a celebration written at the top.
There will be seven scatter papers in all, each having one
celebration written at the top: Christmas, Easter, Earth Day,
Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, New Year's. Tell each
team that they are to write symbols under each holiday that go with
the holiday. Model on the board writing the word "trees" under the
word "Arbor Day." Have the teams go to a scatter paper. Time the
teams for one minute at each paper to write as many symbols as they
can think of. Before you begin, assign one person from each team to
make sure that every member participates in some way. Check for
understanding by the color of team marker. Discuss some of the
symbols of the holidays.

G. Jigsaw- Tell the students that
Christmas is a celebration that occurs in the wintertime. Tell them
that Santa Claus is one symbol of Christmas. Point out to them that
there are many symbols of many winter time celebrations. Tell them
that one symbol of many celebrations that occur in the winter are
"gift givers," such as Santa Claus. Give each group materials to read
about a different "gift giver." They will include information about
Romans, Chanukah, the Three Kings, St. Nicholas, Svaty Miklaus,
Befana, and Baboushka. After selecting a team reader and reading the
passage, count off each table. Give each group time to prepare what
they will share as part of the "expert group." Put each number in a
group (one's together, two's together, etc.) and have them share the
information they learned with each other. Check for understanding
with the quick quiz.

H. Extension Mini-lecture- Tell the
students some more winter celebration symbols. The star is a symbol
of birth and the birth of Christ. The yule log was a way to worship
the Norman god Thor, but is burned today in many countries for good
luck. Mistletoe has been used in winter solstice festivals as a
symbol of peace even before the gift givers. Mistletoe was used as a
peace plant by the Nomen and Romans. The Norse believed that if they
met an enemy under the mistletoe, they must call a truce for the day.
Perhaps this is where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe
got started.

I. Make Your Own Symbol- Pass out
construction paper and have the students create their own symbol for
a holiday or celebration of their own choice. Have them write a
paragraph about what the symbol means or stands for and paste it on
the backside of the symbol creation. Before having the students do
it, show them an example of your own symbol of a penny and that it
means honesty. Tell them the story of how once you dropped a penny
out of your purse and how an honest little child picked it up and
gave it back toyou. That is why a penny is the symbol of honesty to
you. Allow the students who wish to share their symbol with the class
come up andtell about their symbol.

Assessment:

1. Scatter papers will be
assessed.

2. Gift Giver quick quiz will be
assessed.

3. Individual symbol creations and
explanations will be assessed.

4. Responses to discussion questions will be
assessed.

Appendix:

Quick Quiz

Write in the correct answer from the list at
the bottom.

1. Who was given credit when unexpected
gifts were found?

2. Who came down from heaven on a golden
cord held by angels?

3. Who is remembered for giving gifts to the
baby Jesus?

4. Who was the woman Italian gift giver who
left gifts in childrens' shoes?

5. Who was the old Russian woman who gave
gifts to sleeping children looking for the Christ child?

6. Who gave gifts of holly and mistletoe as
peace gifts for winter festivals?

7. What celebration do Jewish people
celebrate where they give gifts for eight days?

Possible Answers

Romans

Svaty Miklaus

Chanukah

The Three Kings

St. Nicholas

Befana

Baboushka

Parent Letter

Dear Parents,

We are discussing symbols and how they are
important in celebrations around the world. We are
focusing

on winter celebrations. If there are any
world celebrations on which you are very knowledgeable, we

would love to have you as a guest speaker.
Also, if you know any unique symbols for any winter

celebration, we would like to learn about
them. If you could send an item with your child, we would
like

to learn about it and put it on our interest
table. If you can help with this symbols and celebrations topic,
I

would appreciate it. Please sign this paper
and send it back with your child if you would like to

help. We also need volunteers to go with us
to the USU Visual Arts Museum on December 10th.

*Please sign this form and send it to school
with your child to verify that you have read it.

Parent Signature: Date:

Jigsaw Activities Information: Group
#1

Baboushka

Baboushka is the Russian gift giver. She is
an old woman who was too busy to go with the wise men to Bethlehem.
Now, she searches the world looking for candy in the shoes of
sleeping children.

Jigsaw Activities Information: Group
#2

Befana

Befana is the Italian gift giver. She was
too busy cleaning her house to go see Jesus with the wise men, so now
she goes from house to house looking for the child. She leaves gifts
of candy in the shoes of Italian sleeping children in case one of
them is the child she seeks.

Jigsaw Activities Information: Group
#3

Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas was an actual real person who
lived in Asia Minor a long time ago. He was very kind and generous to
everyone. He once helped a merchant by giving him a bag of gold. He
left the gold at the merchant's house by tossing it through the
window. Now, in numerous European countries, when a person receives a
surprise gift without knowing who gave it to them, they say that St.
Nicholas did it.

Jigsaw Activities Information: Group
#4

Svaty Miklaus

Svaty Miklaus is the Czechoslovakian gift
giver. Svaty Miklaus comes down from heaven to give gifts. There is a
special way that he comes down from heaven. Svaty Miklaus comes down
held up by a golden cord. People say that the cord is held by
angels.

Jigsaw Activity Information: Group
#5

Chanukah

Chanukah was started a long, long time ago.
Chanukah is a celebration held in winter time. Jewish people
celebrated Chanukah by giving gifts for eight days. A candle was
burned on each day of gift giving for eight days. Today the Jewish
people still celebrate this celebration.

Jigsaw Activity Information: Group
#6

Romans

Before gift givers were even developed, the
Romans would give gifts to celebrate the winter solstice festivals.
The rich Romans would give gifts of holly, ivy, and mistletoe to the
poor. Holly, ivy, and mistletoe were symbols of peace and
friendship.

Jigsaw Activity Information: Group
#7

The Three Kings

Another name for the Three Kings is "Wise
Men." The Christian people celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to
each other. The Three Kings gave gifts to Jesus. The Three Kings are
known as the first ones to give gifts to celebrate the birth of
Christ. The Three Kings are a part of the religious celebration of
Christmas.